Captaincy caps dream spell for Bracewell

By Kris Shannon

Every cricketer aspires to represent their country but Michael Bracewell’s recall capped a three-day period beyond his wildest dreams.

The allrounder ended a nightmarish injury run by being named captain for the Black Caps’ tour to Pakistan, leading an inexperienced squad shorn of 12 frontline players for this month’s five-match T20 series.

Bracewell has endured more than a year away from international cricket, rupturing his Achilles and missing the ODI World Cup before breaking his finger on domestic duty with Wellington. But after the slow grind of rehabilitation, his luck changed in a hurry last month.

“I had a golden three days,” Bracewell said. “I got the eight-for at the Basin, then a hole-in-one the next day, then the third thing was the call from [coach Gary Stead] about the captaincy.

“It was three days I’ll never forget and a pretty special phone call.”

The memorable week began on a Monday, when the off-spinner snared career best first-class figures of 8-41 while bowling Wellington to victory against Otago in the Plunket Shield.

On Tuesday, Bracewell celebrated that win with teammate Logan van Beek at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club, where he “added another tick to the bucket list” on the renowned 16th hole.

Then, on Wednesday, his phone rang with the most significant achievement of all.

“It’s a huge honour firstly to be picked again for the Black Caps, and then a huge honour to be selected as captain,” Bracewell said. “It’s one I certainly wasn’t expecting but I’m excited by the prospect.

“It’s a real privilege to be selected as captain – it’s something that you dream of as a kid. But it’s one of those things you can’t really control – you get tapped on the shoulder. You try be yourself as much as possible and I was fortunate enough to get the call for this tour.”

Bracewell was due a bit of fortune. A near-certain selection for last year’s World Cup in India, hopes of playing at that tournament were scuppered in June when he ruptured his right Achilles while batting for Worcestershire in England’s T20 Blast.

The 33-year-old spent seven months on the sidelines before returning for Wellington in January, showing glimpses of form only to suffer a finger injury that ruled him out of contention for Black Caps selection during the home summer.

But the pain of another recovery spell was forgotten as he tore through the Otago order on March 18, beginning an unforgettable few days.

“It’s very exciting every time you get selected to play for New Zealand. It’s a little bit sweeter when you’ve had a bit of time on the sidelines to perhaps reflect and then grow that hunger even more to be back out there again,” Bracewell said.

“You’re hopeful it’ll happen quickly but it’s been a slow grind. A lot of days at the Basin working hard on all the little things that go into being an international cricketer.”

Bracewell had to wait until 2022 for his first experience at that level, having spent a decade in domestic cricket. Now, he’ll shepherd an understrength side on a challenging assignment, hoping to cement his own spot for the T20 World Cup in June while improving the odds for some teammates.

“It’s a very exciting prospect to go and take on Pakistan in Pakistan – they’re a formidable side,” he said. “There’s some exciting things coming up throughout the rest of the year, but the job at hand is taking on Pakistan in their own conditions.

“Obviously you have those thoughts of where you’d like to be but the only way you get to where you want to go is by focusing on what’s in front of you.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission